Especially when it comes to racial extremists. We are all aware of the white supremacists and the idiots who march around in sheets. But there exist extremists on the other side of the aisle too. First, let's talk about the anti-everyone-who-does-not-share-my-inbred-genes groups.

Many people do not realize that white extremists still exist. They still march, still shout, still spew hatred, still try to intimidate. This news story tells of these bigots trying to stage a "rally" in Athens, Alabama last year. According to this news account, the people of the city made a stand against them. I hope that is accurate.

Most of these groups have been rightfully marginalized, and no longer have political clout or the grass roots sympathies they once did. That does not mean we can drop our vigilance of them - it just means that their effectiveness has been muted.

Which brings us to our second group - the black extremist.

In my area, the "International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement", or Uhurus, has a significant presence. You may never have heard of them. However, they are often quoted in news stories relating to race issues in my area. The politicians here try to appease them, although such efforts are generally rebuffed. And this is why I consider the black extremists more dangerous than the white extremists: these groups are not marginalized, and have the ear of the media and politicians.

In the Uhuru's own words, they believe every black person in prison is a "prisoner of war" and must be freed. They call the police an "occupying army", who are stealing resources from African Americans. They state public education amounts to "criminalization of African children" and call for an "end to the white nationalists anti-African curriculum that is being used." They also call special education "a system of mind control, tracking African children into failure and prisons." They accuse the public health care system of genocide against African Americans. They call Barack Obama "WHITE POWER IN BLACK FACE". The list goes on.

The Uhuru followers have been implicated in two riots in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida. And yet, instead of being treated like the terrorists they are, they are quoted by the media, and coddled by politicians who have no spine. In fact, my own work site restricts access to the white supremacist sites, yet allows access to the Uhuru sites.

You will gain nothing trying to appease terrorists.

We need to get past worrying about being called a "racist", when in fact we are pointing out terrorists. Whether those terrorists are white, black or brown does not matter. Whether they call themselves Ku Klux Klan, Uhuru or Al Queda does not matter. We need to treat them all the same.

How's that for equality for you?

WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance

A court drama that is playing out in Malaysia this week says a lot about growing tensions between conservative Islam and the rule of law in this Muslim-majority nation that has long been known for its religious tolerance. It concerns the legal battle for the body of Elangesvaran Benedict, who died June 22 at age 34.

As his family mourned his death, Mr. Elangesvaran's body was seized by Islamic authorities, who claimed that he had secretly converted to Islam and must be buried as a Muslim. The family responded with a court case claiming he was Hindu, but hours before the case was to be heard, a Shariah court -- in which none of his family was present -- ruled that the deceased was Muslim. After that, the civil court refused to hear the case. On Monday another civil court refused to issue a staying order while the family appeals the case. Later that night, the body was buried in a Muslim cemetery, without the family's approval.

Read:

Malaysian Islamic court declares dead man Muslim amid Hindu family's objections

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

Umno’s formula - turn everything racial

An Islamic court has declared a dead man a Muslim, preventing his Hindu family from cremating his body, in the latest dispute over religious conversions in Muslim-majority Malaysia, their lawyer said Monday.

A Shariah court in northern Penang state ruled Friday that B. Elangesvaran, 34, who committed suicide last month, was a Muslim and his body should be released from the hospital for Muslim burial, lawyer R. Nethaji Rayer said.

In handing down the ruling, the Shariah court upheld the local Islamic Religious Affairs Department's claim that Elangesvaran had converted to Islam before his death.

A civil court — the Penang High Court — dismissed the application by Elangesvaran's family Friday to have him declared a Hindu, Nethaji said.

The court later Monday also refused to grant an injunction to stop the Islamic department from taking possession of Elangesvaran's body, Nethaji said.

"The body will be buried according to Muslim rites," Nethaji said. "History has shown that in 10 cases like this, we've won one."

It was not immediately clear when the department would conduct the burial.

Religious conversion disputes often erupt in Malaysia, where Muslim Malays make up 60 percent of the population and mostly non-Muslim ethnic Chinese and Indians account for a third.

The cases have put pressure on the government to guarantee the rights of religious minorities who increasingly complain they lose out in disputes involving Islam.

"This is not proper at all," said Nethaji. "Generally (the civil courts) always take the stand that they cannot interfere with the Shariah court."

Malaysia has a dual court system. While Shariah courts handle civil matters for Muslims, civil courts rule on the same for non-Muslims. It is unclear which court has the final word in conversion disputes.

Ghazali Saad, an official with the Penang Islamic department, said his office had proof that Elangesvaran had converted before his death.

"We have the document that he converted to Islam," he said, but declined to comment further, pending the outcome of the case.

Nethaji said the purported proof was only a scribbled note allegedly written by Elangesvaran. The note was not signed, he said.

He said the family was "distraught, very disappointed, completely broken down ... They are unable to go on with their lives. It's all hanging in the balance."

Read:

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

Malaysia - a sensible lot giving in to extremist tendencies

Dialogue is a matter of national integration but the Malaysian education system does not inculcate the three pre-requisites for inter-religious cooperation and relations, said sociologist Dr Syed Farid Alatas.

“We do not live according to the three principles for harmonious relations – recognising the multi-cultural origins of civilisation, inter-religious encounters and showing respect and understanding the point of the other,” said Dr Syed Farid, the head of the Malay Studies Department and associate professor of sociology at the National University of Singapore.
"We have little appreciation for each other’s religion and culture."- DR SYED FARID ALATAS

“Our education system does not inculcate these attitudes in us but instead tends to polarise us. We have little appreciation for each other’s religion and culture. In China, there is a strong interaction between Islam and Chinese culture.”

He said this yesterday at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies/Isis National Affairs Forum held at the Isis Malaysia office.

Read:

Hishammuddin says Malaysia’s education system is on good platform

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

A RECENT statement by Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajudin Abdul Rahman in Dewan Rakyat has sparked the ire of some and the MCA will be sending a complaint letter to the Deputy Prime Minister seeking disciplinary action.

MCA Youth secretary-general Dr Wee Ka Siong said the movement, together with Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Youth and the Federation of Malaysian Clans and Guilds Youth Associations, condemned the statement by Datuk Tajudin that all non-Malays were descendants of immigrants to Malaysia.

“His statement has offended the feelings of non-Malays.

Read:

Tajudin Abdul Rahman wants 80% of scholarships for bumiputra

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

So much truth in this.

These events are actual events from history. They really happened!  Do you remember?

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred  by :
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

No, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?  So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winner and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone lest they be guilty of profiling.

Just as significant was the religiosity that came back with the workers. Historically speaking, the Wahhabi reading of Islam had found little purchase on the subcontinent. Mainly because Wahhabi ideology is at odds with practices in Pakistani culture, which cherished its sufi saints. However, this migration allowed a vast population to unlearn their "decadent" and "deviant" practices from the "pure practitioners" in Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the Emirates.

In the southern valleys and northern mountains dupattas were replaced with burkas and sufi shrines with madrasas. This cultural turn dovetailed with Zia ul-Haq's policies of Sunnification and the selling of jihad as a necessary commodity to the Pakistani people.

Palestine, Chechnya and Kashmir became the de-facto topics at every Friday sermon from Doha and Riyadh to Dera Ghazi Khan and Rawalpindi. However, this Wahhabisation, which included a stricter, more literal interpretation of Qur'an, the demonisation of non-believers, antisemitic rhetoric, racism, the desire to "fund" jihads and so on, was never a straightforward process of important. Its progress was gradual and organic in a way that slowly de-legitimised established practices while distorting others: the spiritual guide was transformed into one who cast, or fought, black magic.

It is hard to find a household, a conversation, in current day Pakistan that is free of such concerns. The practitioners combine the zeal of the Wahhabi imam with the bank-teller's command of charges due: $10 for the destruction of a marriage, $20 for an incantation for a ruined libido. All wrapped in literal reading of Qur'anic text.

Read more and post discussion or debate: The Wahhabisation of Pakistan

Women in a northern Malaysian city ruled by conservative Islamists are being urged by the city's authorities to forsake bright lipstick and noisy high-heels "to preserve their dignity and avoid rape".

Pamphlets have been distributed recommending that Muslim women shun heavy makeup and loud shoes. The municipal officials in Kota Bharu, capital of Kelantan state, which is run by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party, stressed that the code was merely advice for women who wish to follow the "Islamic way".

The party's brand of Islam - mocked by Malaysian liberals as "Taliban lite" - has already decreed that supermarkets must have separate checkout lines for men and women. Couples caught sitting too close together on park benches are hunted down by the city's moral enforcers and fined up to £285 in the city's sharia courts.

A directive on dress a decade ago decreed that Muslim women must wear non-transparent headscarves that cover the chest, along with loose-fitting, long-sleeved blouses. There are fines of up to £75 and as many as 20 women are punished for breaking the rule every month.

Azman Mohamad Daham, a spokesman for the municipality, said: "Our minimum guideline is they must wear headscarves." The goal of the modesty drive was to prevent rape and safeguard the women's dignity, he said.

Read:

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says corporate companies must seek religious experts' advice before launching promotions

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says road signs should use Bahasa Malaysia and Jawi

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

The leadership vacuum is most stark in dealing with militants, Pakistani politicians and foreign diplomats have said, adding that the Pakistani government and military officials were sending mixed signals about policy in the tribal areas that have become home to the Taliban and to Al Qaeda.

That confusion, military officials and diplomats warn, is allowing the militants to consolidate their sanctuaries while spreading their tentacles all along the border area. It has also complicated policy for the administration of George W. Bush, which leaned heavily on one man, President Pervez Musharraf, to streamline its anti-terrorism efforts in Paksitan.

If anyone is in charge, Pakistani politicians and Western diplomats say, it remains the military and the country's premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, which operate with little real oversight.

While the recently elected civilian government has been criticized for dealing with militants, the military is brokering cease-fires and prisoner exchanges with minimum consultation with the government, politicians from the government coalition, diplomats and analysts said. Meanwhile, politicians in both the provincial and central government complain that they are excluded from the negotiations and did not even know of a secret deal struck in February, before the elections, let alone the details of the accord.

"You see a lack of a coordinated strategy between the federal level and provincial level, and that includes the ISI and the military who are clear players," said one Western diplomat with knowledge of the tribal regions, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"You see it even on principles of negotiation and combined strategy."

Although political parties and the military all seek a break from the violence that has roiled Pakistan, there are fundamental disagreements over the problem of militancy that are not being addressed, Pakistani politicians and Western diplomats say.

Since coming to power in February, the fragile coalition government has been engrossed in internal wrangling over removing President Musharraf.

The coalition government is barely functioning, with half its ministers having left the cabinet in May in a dispute over whether to reinstate 60 high court judges dismissed by Musharraf last year.

For now it is just accepting the military's decisions regarding the militants, said Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general who is now a political analyst. He characterized the country as suffering from "institutional paralysis and a dysfunctional government, signs of which are showing already."

Separately, a Pakistani court ruled Monday that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not eligible to run in upcoming parliamentary by-elections because he had been convicted of a crime, the Associated Press reported.

The decision was a major political setback for Sharif, making it impossible for the bitter opponent of U.S.-backed Musharraf to become prime minister unless the ban on his candidacy is overturned. Sharif, a deeply populist politician, leads the junior party in the governing coalition.

Sharif had been barred from running in February elections because of convictions related to his ouster in a 1999 coup. Earlier this month the nation's election commission effectively cleared him to run in by-elections scheduled for Thursday after a tribunal set up to decide the matter failed to reach a consensus.

Along with diplomats, the lack of clear leadership has U.S. military commanders worried. General Dan McNeill, until recently U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, described the coalition government as "dysfunctional."

Masood, the political analyst, added, "It is a very dangerous situation because what is happening is the Afghan government is getting desperate."

The frustration is such that President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan threatened this month to send Afghan troops into Pakistan to pursue Pakistani militant leaders.

That Pakistan's government appears broken is not surprising, analysts say. Civilian institutions in the country were atrophied by eight years of military rule, and its political parties were left rudderless by the absence of their leaders, who lived in exile much of that time.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December left her party in even deeper disarray. "We have not even had time to mourn her," said Farah Ispahani, a Pakistan Peoples Party legislator who was a close friend of Bhutto.

The military remains the country's strongest institution. But it is proving to be an increasingly fickle and prickly partner. United States and NATO officials are still struggling to decipher the intentions of the new chief of army staff, General Ashfaq Kayani.

Last autumn, at the time of Kayani's appointment, U.S. officials spoke approvingly of him. He seemed well aware of the threat that militants posed to Pakistan and of the dangers of peace deals that have allowed the militants to tighten their grip in the tribal areas.

But despite at least $12 billion in aid to Pakistan from Washington for the fight against the militants, Kayani has recently shown a reluctance to use Pakistan's military for counterinsurgency operations, suggesting that the task be left to the much weaker tribal force, the Frontier Corps. He has encouraged the civilian government to take the lead.

Part of the confusion stems from the shift in power from Musharraf's military rule to the new civilian government, a Western military official said. "Kayani is being careful not to get too far out in front and is trying to determine who is in charge," he said. "We all are."

The uneasy balance between civilian and military authority was demonstrated this month when the finance minister, Naveed Qamar, revealed details of the defense budget to parliament for the first time in 40 years. While Qamar called it "historic moment," the document was a mere two pages.

Meanwhile, the military under Kayani has quietly pursued its own policies, politicians from the government coalition, diplomats and analysts say. The military and ISI negotiated a little-known truce with the tribes and militants of North Waziristan just days before the Feb. 18 elections, a senior government official in Peshawar confirmed.

The deal was so secretive that few in the government know its details.

The military also began negotiations with the most powerful of the Taliban commanders, Baitullah Mehsud, in January, just weeks after the government accused him of masterminding Bhutto's assassination.

Western officials are suspicious of the deal. Mehsud is accused of dispatching scores of suicide bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but the agreement initially included no prohibition on cross-border attacks.

Only after strong pressure from the United States and other allies did the military insert a clause this month, according to a senior official close to the negotiations. In the meantime, cross-border attacks increased by 50 percent in May, NATO officials in Afghanistan say.

The provincial government in the North West Frontier Province has also expressed its reservations with the deal. Officials from the Awami National Party, a Pashtun nationalist party that leads the government in the province and which is also part of the national coalition, complained that they have not been included in the military's decisions.

"Our main demand is that we should be included in negotiations," said Wajid Ali Khan, an ANP official. "We don't know with whom they are talking." Even the central government's point man for counterterrorism, the acting interior minister, Rehman Malik, has appeared to have an uneven grasp of developments.

This month he announced in Parliament that the peace deal with militants in the Swat valley, just outside the tribal areas, was scrapped. But he retracted the statement the next day after the provincial government insisted the deal was still on.

Officials of the Awami National Party have complained that his comments undermine their own negotiating position. This week the firebrand militant leader in Swat, Mullah Fazlullah, declared the peace agreement suspended over the slowness of prisoner releases.

The provincial government had agreed to prisoner releases on a case by case basis, and they are part of ongoing negotiations, said Afrasiab Khattak, a senior official of the Awami National Party.He and other ANP officials are confident that they can make the peace deals in their province work. But few believe that the deals brokered by the military in the tribal regions will last more than a few months, including the military officials themselves, senior government officials in Peshawar say.

Authorities in a northern Malaysian city have forbidden Muslim women from wearing bright lipstick and noisy high-heeled shoes, saying the directive is intended to prevent sexual assaults and "illicit sex."
Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves.

Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves.

The national news agency, Bernama, said the directive was issued by the municipal council of Kota Baru and is aimed toward Muslim women working in restaurants and other businesses in the city. It said the ban will safeguard the morals and dignity of the women as well as thwart rape.

"It states that Muslim women are forbidden to wear thick make-up, like bright colored lipstick and high-heeled shoes that gave a tapping sound," the news agency said.

"For those who insist on wearing high heel shoes, they can do so but with rubber heels."

Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves that cover the chest, long-sleeved and loose blouses and socks.

Anyone not following the regulations can be fined up to 500 ringgit ($153), Bernama said.

Read:

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says corporate companies must seek religious experts' advice before launching promotions

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says road signs should use Bahasa Malaysia and Jawi

When contacted, Nik Nazmi said that the decision to end the subscription of the publications was done due to the “unfair reporting and its choice to play the racial card.”

“Based on certain news articles, the Selangor Government found that the newspaper had chosen to play the racial card and it did not practice balanced reporting.

“This approach is certainly putting the people and state government at logger heads and it is not healthy,” he said.

Nik Nazmi also added that there was no gag order issued to the heads of departments on news releases to the Utusan media.

A check at a few local authorities revealed that the administration unit had cancelled the advertisement contracts and informed newsvendors to stop the delivery of Utusan publications.

Read:

Utusan fanning racial flames

Umno’s formula - turn everything racial

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

Wie ergeht es aber jemanden, der eine solche Außenseitermeinung hat ? Wird er ernst genommen ?Wird versucht, seine real existierenden oder auch nur eingebildeten Probleme zu lösen ? Eindeutig nein. Es wird ihm klargemacht, daß er böse ist, spinnt, überdreht ist oder keine Ahnung hat.Im Modernen Sprachgebrauch heißt das "Ausgrenzen". Man darf diese Wahrnehmungen und die daraus resultierende Meinung einfach nicht haben.Aber auch, wenn alle sagen, daß man spinnt oder böse sei, so bleiben doch die eigenen Wahrnehmungen und die kann einem keiner nehmen. Früher oder später kommt es zur Trotzreaktion. Die Außenseitermeinung wird extrem. Lange genug hat man sich mit dem Thema beschäftigt. Lange genug hat man es im Guten versucht, hat diskutiert und versucht zu überzeugen. Aber es ist nichts passiert. Somit beginnt man seine Position immer extremer und provozierender zu formulieren. Man ist somit zum Extremisten geworden. Man kann aber auch erkennen, daß die momentane Situation aus prinzipiellen Gründen die erwünschte Situation unmöglich macht. Also lehnt man die momentane Situation prinzipiell ab oder erstrebt eine Situation, die prinzipiell anders ist. Man packt also das Problem an der Wurzel an, wird also radikal ( radix = Wurzel ).

Da die Wahrnehmung und Diagnose in vielen Fällen stimmt, so ist es wahrscheinlich, daß ein Extremist bzw. ein Radikaler auch Anhänger oder Mitläufer gewinnt, möglicherweise auch noch lange nach seinem Tod. Mitläufer sind zwar ebenso extrem oder radikal wie ihr Vordenker, sind aber oftmals in ihrer Meinung weitaus weniger gefestigt und sind daher leicht beeinflußbar. Die Mischung aus Radikalität und Beeinflußbarkeit macht die Mitläufer gefährlich.

Was kann man nun daraus lernen ?

Ausgrenzung verstärkt den Extremismus. Ein Extremist soll ernst genommen werden. Er könnte mit seiner Wahrnehmung tatsächlich recht haben. Durch die Reduzierung der Wahrnehmung sind aber die Rezepte von Extremisten oftmals gefährlich. Eine Gesellschaft braucht extreme bzw. radikale Vordenker, um auf die Probleme aufmerksam gemacht zu werden, die der Normalbürger nicht wahrnehmen kann. Würde man die Vordenker ernst nehmen, so würde von ihnen keine Gefahr ausgehen. Das ganze gilt natürlich nicht für Hohlköpfe, die nur deshalb Extremisten sind, um ihren Frust abzulassen. Aber auch hier hilft Ausgrenzung nicht. Denn auch ein ausgegrenzter, gewalttätiger Hohlkopf bleibt ein gewalttätiger Hohlkopf. Auch dann, wenn man eine extreme Richtung erfolgreich verbieten würden, so würde der Hohlkopf einen anderen Kanal finden, seinen Frust abzulassen.

Der Normalbürger glaubt oftmals in völliger intellektueller Selbstüberschätzung, er könne sich über viele Dinge selbst eine Meinung machen. Dabei ist es für die Mächtigen so einfach die Meinung der Normalbürger zu beeinflussen, so daß dieser glaubt, es sei seine eigene Meinung. Die Mächtigen können durch gezieltes, öffentliches Totschweigen verhindern, daß sich zu viele Leute über ein Thema Gedanken machen. Der Normalbürger lebt in einer ständigen Überflutung an Eindrücken, die er verarbeiten muß, so daß es ihm gar nicht auffällt, daß es auch Themen gibt, über die offiziell geschwiegen wird. Ständig werden Statistiken veröffentlicht, wie viel wir verdienen, wie viele arbeitslos ( Gefälscht ) sind, wie hoch die Inflation ist, wie viele am Rauchen, an Drogen, an AIDS und im Straßenverkehr sterben und wie viele Ehen geschieden werden. Da fällt es gar nicht auf, daß keine Statistiken veröffentlicht werden, wie viele durch Hochspannungsmasten krank werden und wie viele Priester - Kinder sexuell mißbrauchen. Wie viele Menschen sich bedingt durch Hartz IV das Leben nehmen oder schlimmer noch elendig Verhungern wie Andre Kirsch in Speyer !Über diese Themen wurde bislang öffentlich geschwiegen. Würden diese Statistiken monatlich veröffentlicht werden, so wäre die Meinung der Normalbürger wohl klar. Auch die Verhinderung dieser Meinung ist Meinungsmache ! Wenn man eine Behauptung von vielen, scheinbar unabhängigen Seiten hört, so klingt sie glaubhaft. Was alle relevanten Experten sagen, kann doch nicht falsch sein ?! Wenn eine Talk-Show wie Anne Will oder Maybrit Illner ein Thema behandelt, kann der Veranstalter schon durch die Zusammensetzung der Experten eine Mehrheitsmeinung und eine Außenseiterposition im Voraus festlegen.Manchmal reicht es dem Manipulator sogar, eine frei erfundene Behauptung ohne jede Untermauerung oder zusätzliche Tricks zu veröffentlichen. Vielleicht wird sie irgendwann widerlegt, aber es finden sich bestimmt einige, die trotzdem felsenfest davon überzeugt sind. Viele Überzeugungen halten sich, obwohl sie eigentlich klar widerlegt sind, doch sehr hartnäckig. Manche wollen auch, nachdem sie sich erst eine Meinung gebildet haben, davon nicht wieder abweichen. Manche kriegen auch gar nicht mit, daß das, woran sie glauben, schon längst widerlegt ist. Ungewünschte Meinungen aber können am wirksamsten schon dann bekämpft werden, wenn sie der Bevölkerung noch nicht voll bewusst ist. Wenn ein Politiker seinen Wählern zu kalt und herzlos erscheint, so kann durch eine Sendung, bei der er im Kreis seiner Familie als fürsorglicher Familienvater gezeigt wird, diese Meinung korrigiert werden. Glauben die Wähler, er sei von der Wirklichkeit abgehoben, so zeigt man, wie er am Supermarkt in der Warteschlange an der Kasse steht.

Die Kunst des Manipulators ist es hierbei, die Meinung der Bevölkerung zu erkennen und zwar schneller als es die Bevölkerung selbst tut.

Durch tiefenpsychologische Interviews von repräsentativ ausgewählten Gruppen ist dieses relativ einfach. Diese Art der Manipulation ist dadurch besonders erfolgreich, weil sie mit geringen Mitteln auskommt, denn es muß nicht gegen ein gefestigtes Vorurteil vorgegangen werden. Diese geringen Mittel fallen als Manipulation nicht auf.................

Heute stolpern alle Menschen irgendwann einmal in ihrem Leben über die Wahrheit.Die meisten springen schnell wieder auf, klopfen sich den Staub ab und eilen ihren Geschäften nach, so, als ob nichts geschehen sei.Man muss einem Menschen die Wahrheit hinhalten, dass er wie in einen offenen Mantel hineinschlüpfen kann, und nicht wie einen nassen Lappen um die Ohren hauen............

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said all local councils and state agencies should also use Jawi in road signages and billboards to promote the script which he described as a national heritage.

“This has to be done ... I don’t think a particular ministry or government department would lose its identity if they incorporated Jawi into their letter heads.

“Also, Jawi can be used together with Bahasa Malaysia on road signs and in advertisements,” he said when launching the Jawi Warisan Bangsa (Jawi Our Heritage) programme at Sek Datuk Abdul Razak near Sg Gadut near here.

Use Jawi, councils and state agencies told

Read:

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says corporate companies must seek religious experts' advice before launching promotions

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

That the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped Prof. Octavio Dinampo together with the journalist Ces Drilon and her crew reflects badly on the bandits—but they are bandits, plain and simple. The initial response of the police to Dinampo’s fate reflects badly on the government too. We hope they can still listen to reason.

This was how editors from the Philippine Daily Inquirer summarized its reaction to the kidnapping of broadcast journalist Ces Drilon, her crew and guide. There are mixed reactions to the kidnapping of Ms. Ces Drilon, her crew and a guide but I believe the response of the police reflects the general response of government officials on a certain crisis--poor.

It reflects lack of knowledge and while they might insist there are certain protocols in time of emergency, there is none operational. In this case, there are a number of people who would like to be at the helm and be the gatekeeper of information. This just one time that you get national media coverage, why not maximize it?

They have also showed double standards with regard to the treatment of criminal situation in the Philippines. As reflected in the reaction of bloggers, if the kidnapped person is a virtual unknown, then it might have been a different story, for the rich Pinoy then another and so on.

Equality is never achieved in a country that keeps changing its mind on its laws more so on the leaders that it elects (the legitimacy of the current government leadership is still doubted up to now). The government should be leading the way in service standards and yet there is sustained frustration among its people and one can just shout in frustration while others could only write their rants in a number of platform (and pray that they do not get sued!).

There is great respect for the Filipino talent as knowledge or skilled workers but why is it that whenever we get together we just show the worst of our identity?

Now, if only the government--starting with the Philippine National Police--stick to their protocols and handle such situation with utmost professionalism then I think there can only be minimal mistake.

Ces Drilon STR/AFP/Getty Images

From The Associated Press story, High Court Sides with Guantanamo Detainees Again:

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

In its third rebuke of the Bush administration's treatment of prisoners, the court ruled 5-4 that the government is violating the rights of prisoners being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The court's liberal justices were in the majority.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

Kennedy said federal judges could ultimately order some detainees to be released, but that such orders would depend on security concerns and other circumstances.

It was not immediately clear whether this ruling, unlike the first two, would lead to prompt hearings for the detainees, some of whom have been held more than 6 years. Roughly 270 men remain at the island prison, classified as enemy combatants and held on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The ruling could resurrect many detainee lawsuits that federal judges put on hold pending the outcome of the high court case. The decision sent judges, law clerks and court administrators scrambling to read Kennedy's 70-page opinion and figure out how to proceed. Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth said he would call a special meeting of federal judges to address how to handle the cases.

THE research panel of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has instructed mobile phone system provider Celcom Bhd to temporarily cease its “Celcom 100 Days, 100 Cars” promotion, reported Harian Metro....

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also commented on the issue recently, stating that corporate companies should seek the advice of religious experts before launching promotions, especially those offering prizes.

Jakim puts brakes on ‘100 cars’ promotion

Read:

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

Barisan Nasional politicians not capable of mature debate

Mahathir says cabinet is not very knowledgeable and sometimes stupid

Racial Divisions Sharper After 50 Years

Wither Malaysia, under BN ?

Umno’s arrogance of power

Umno lacks intellectual capability, courage, energy to lead

What leadership should be, but is not in Malaysia’s politicians

Christian broadcaster and author Dave Hunt says born-again Christians should be more than skeptical of a new religious education group started by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. 

Blair recently launched an interfaith group designed to promote a "peaceful coexistence" between the major religions and "encourage interfaith initiatives to tackle global poverty and conflict." The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is backed by some high-profile Americans, including former President Bill Clinton and evangelical mega-church pastor Rick Warren, who serves on the group's advisory board. (See earlier article)
 
Blair says the group will counter religious extremists, whom he defines as "people who want to exclude the other if someone is of a different faith." Hunt, founder of The Berean Call ministry, says Blair is undertaking an impossible task.
 
"How are you going to unite Christians and Muslims, for example?" Hunt asks. "I mean, that is an anathema to Islam."

The ministry leader explains that Islam is as "anti-Christian" as a religion can be. "The Quran says [that] Jesus is not God, [that] he's not the son of God, [that] he didn't die on the cross, even; [that] someone died in his place; [that] he was taken alive to heaven – just to begin with the contradictions between Christianity and Islam," he says.
 
According to Hunt, Blair and Pastor Warren are operating under the mistaken notion that Islam at its heart is a peaceful, tolerant religion.
 
"But you can't compromise, you can't forget that it's not just al-Qaida; it's not just some 'extremists,' as they'd like to say. No, this is Islam," he points out. "There are more than 100 verses in the Quran declaring [regarding] pagans ... [that you've got to] cut their heads off – [that] you've got to kill them," Hunt contends.
 
Hunt believes Blair and others behind the interfaith effort are unknowingly laying the foundation for the coming world religion under antichrist.

*This article was presented on this blog not as a political alert, but to alert the readers not to fall for the Purpose Driven world that Rick Warren and Tony Blair are now promoting.  If your church is moving into the Purpose Driven program...run as fast as you can away from it.  I say that to be somewhat funny, but it is serious as it can be.  Ask your pastor, elder board, and deacons to push for Scripture Alone to be taught and not integrate these worldly philosophies into the pukpits across America.  This mindset and philosophy is not biblical or God honoring in any way...the pastorates have strayed away from the truth to follow their own hearts.  The Lord tells us in the scriptures that our hearts are wicked and cannot be trusted...so do not go the way of your heart.  These pastors like Rick have been blinded into believing this garbage they call the gospel and to pal around with other religions in order for there to be world peace and stamp out poverty around the world.  Well, Christianity is a separated religion from the rest and true believers will stand out and not follow anyone into the One World Religion-Church that will usher in the anti-christ.  Just be aware of what is going these days as these serious events are starting to take place in a very fast pattern.     -Scott

If any one did try and match this poem posted earlier, here's the translated/adapted version:

They talk about Human Rights,

But don’t act to abolish poverty.

They talk about freedom of thought,

But through the media control opinions

They talk about respect

But insult the prophets and the Quran

They talk about democracy

But disagree if we choose Islam

They talk about tolerance

But can’t handle Islamic societies

They talk about gender equality

But have lowered the status of the woman

They talk about peace and security

But support oppressive governments

They talk about justice

But what about Guantanamo Bay?

They talk about problems in the Third World

But never highlight the problems within their own system

They talk about Free Speech

But prevent discussion against the State of Israel

They talk about the rule of law

But arrest people without evidence

They talk about individual freedom

But remain silent at the hijab ban

They talk about honest discussions

But never accept the real cause of terrorism

If I talk about the contradictions

I become an extremist

Hear me, I can continue

My list of complaints is long

The Malay Unity Action Front (MUAF) has protested the scholarship quota increase for non-Malay students from 10 to 45 percent announced by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz recently.
MUAF chairman Osman Abu Bakar said the increase was unwarranted and said the current quota should be retained in line with the special privileges of the Malays as provided by the Federal Constitution.
"The goverment should increase the scholarships and give to more Malay students. The number of Malay and non-Malay recipients will increase with the current quota," he said in a statement here Monday.
He said the Malays who formed in the country's population should be given priority as they were still lagging behind in critical areas thus the need for more scholarships.
"From the economic angle, the Malays need more scholarships to restructure the economy to be on par with the other races. Education is an important instrument to balance the economy and must be implemented fairly," he added.
MUAF want Nazri to explain the rationale for the increase to 45 percent for non-Malays and said it would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi soon to seek clarification.

Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA

Read:

Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity

These people don’t want to work, they don’t want to learn

Malays must be more confident, says Abdullah

New Malay

If you haven't heard yet, Rachel Ray is fueling Muslim extremism and terrorism with such a scarf...who knew?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24860437/

"Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.

The kaffiyeh, Malkin wrote in a column posted online last Friday, "has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons."

http://www.tv.yahoo.com/show/39312/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20080529:dunkin__donuts_ad_pulled

The ad has been pulled by Dunkin' Donuts.  Does Rachel look like the kind of person who would fuel any kind of extremism and terrorism?  On the Today Show the other day, when this story first broke, anchor Matt Lauer said Rachel has been heard making  "mean" and racist comments about Oprah recently.   Could it be true?  Is she really turning to the dark side???  Before you know it, we will learn that Darth Vader is her father....

...they're both wearing black aren't they?

We talked about the impact of videogames in FA Episodes 8 and 9, but I never thought it would come to this!

An American extremist monitoring group, SITE, found an image that terrorists had posted to encourage attacks on the West. Turns out the picture was concept art for a videogame due to be released in September, Fallout 3. The game takes place in a post-nuclear wasteland.

You can read more here.

Here's the pic:

..Whatever the case, the endless infractions, the nasty bureaucratic delays over churches and constant carping had made many Christians feel less Malaysian and less at home.

While March 8 had demonstrated the power of their vote, the sense of being a people set apart remained deeply embedded.

Sense of a people set apart remains

Read:

Shafie claims Malaysia has done well to ensure different races live in harmony

‘Bhumiputra’ policy has polarised Malaysia

Growing disunity under under the BN government…

Malaysia’s fraying racial compact - International Herald Tribune

Malaysia’s lingering ethnic divide

Malaysia’s 50th birthday festivities clouded by worsening race relations

Fifty years on, race, religion still haunt Malaysia

Cracks show in Malaysia unity

Racial Divisions Sharper After 50 Years

Malaysia’s half-century of independence overshadowed by race tensions